Telecommunications consumer representation grants
Section 593 of the Telecommunications Act 1997 gives the Minister capacity to make grants of financial assistance to consumer bodies to support consumer representation in the telecommunications sector.
Since July 2010 the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has received the entire funding allocation for its activities as the peak communications consumer body.
ACCAN:
- represents consumer interests, with sound policy positions underpinned by robust, evidence-based research
- establishes Expert Advisory Committees comprising interested consumer groups to develop policy recommendations
- informs consumers via web resources and publications
- trains volunteer consumer advocates to engage the broader community, including Indigenous and rural or remote communities
- participates in industry and government processes, including self-regulatory activities and government/industry inquiries
- conducts conferences and workshops
ACCAN also administers an independent grants program for research and representation projects. Please direct queries to ACCAN by telephone on 02 9288 4000 or via its website
www.accan.org.auThe 2009-10 ACCAN annual report and explanatory statement are available below.
Annual Report on Consumer Representation Grant Program 2009–10 (PDF, 200 KB)
Annual Report on Consumer Representation Grant Program 2009–10 (RTF, 331 KB)
- Explanatory Statement (PDF, 132 KB)
- Explanatory Statement (RTF, 42 KB)
Review of ACCAN
In establishing ACCAN in 2009, the government committed to conduct a review of ACCAN’s performance after two years of operation.
The terms of reference and information about the review are available on the page linked below. The department will accept submissions until 19 October 2011.
Review of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network
